The solution conformation of insulin and insulin derivatives will be studied using 1H, 13C, and 113Cd nmr. Labeled insulins and specifically degraded insulins will be studied. Th effect of various ions and pH on the conformation of insulin will be examined. External tyrosines will be identified using laser photo chemically induced dynamic nuclear polarization. Shift and relaxation reagents will be used to aid in the determination of insulin conformation as well as that of smaller model systems such as lactams, cyclic peptides and steroids. The interaction of chiral shift reagents with chiral substrates will be examined. 31P nmr will be used to follow the metabolic proceses in a slime mold and 129Xe will be employed as a probe model cell membrane to examine the process of anesthesia. Th relationship between solution conformations and 13C relaxation times in small molecules will be studied. The relationships between calculated 15N chemical shifts and those determined by experiment will be investigated.